Mary sue
A Mary sue is a character idealized or flawless to the point of being cliché and annoying. They tend to contain traits that are overly advantageous, do not belong in Warcraft or are over the top in some other way. Most Mary sues are roleplayed in a way that tries to steal the spotlight, overcome most challenges or constantly claim moral superiority. = Symptoms = Mary sue traits in Warcraft roleplaying and MyRolePlay descriptions include (From worst to forgivable): - * Being a vampire (which is impossible lore-wise). * Being the made-up illegitimate son or daughter of a major lore figure. * Being half (or even whole) demon or possesed by demons. * Having some kind of feral power or trait, animal ears or mentality. * Having a particular aura of power. * Having eyes that glow, are a different colour to the avatar or show other magical propeties. * Being a hybrid or crossbreed of sorts, whether genetically possible or not. * An angst and tragic past, which can include non con, deceased parents or having bonded to no one as a parental figure due to neglect. * Beauty (asides from the avatar, it may be highlighted in the roleplaying addon description). * Obvious facial scars. * Being a lesbian blood elf. Some of these are just cliché, others are grossly overdone and/or impossible. = Why these traits are suey = * Traditional vampires have no lore basis and only serve to make the character something 'cool'. They have become overdone to the extent of being a surefire sign the player is a noob. Ultimately they can't be played properly, as someone who shrivels up in the sun and runs around biting people would be shot by guard npcs or players. * Roleplaying is not like fanfiction - you can't go about changing the lore. You can't claim to be a canon character's relative, as this would alter the history for other characters and mess it up for those that don't know of your 'edits'. Being the son of Illidan would be nothing to brag about - it would be like saying you were the son of Hitler. No one would believe you, and most people would turn up their nose and walk away in digust. Those that would believe you aren't going to go "Wow!" and kiss your feet for it. * Demonic heritage and possesion has been overdone. Depending on how it is used, it can serve as an excuse to make the character look better ("But it wasn't me who blew up that orphanage! I was possesed by demons!") or just have something badass to brag about ("My mummy is a succubus."). Most people possesed by a demon may not know it and/or have the demon pop into their minds at inconvenient times. Again, being half-something of a race that brought terror to Azeroth should not make people like you. Someone sprouting horns on their head or a succubus tail would be shot before they even got through Stormwind. * Warcraft isn't the place for you to play your anime cat girls or Inuyasha-esque demons, even if you are a druid. Most half-cat people do not belong in WoW. If you really must play a cat-person, at least give them flaws (i.e. the instinct to attack moving prey, hissing/spitting at annoying people etc, not just convenient cat senses) * An aura of power around the character tends to be needless and used to godmod in RSP descriptions, i.e. "The aura of pure shadow radiating from Shadow burns gory images into your head and leaves you cowering in fear." * Glowing eyes, eyes that are of a different colour to the avatar or ones containing other magical propeties can lack lore basis and only serve to make the character look cool. They aren't really nessesary and tend to be overdone. Differently coloured eyes on certain species may get your character into trouble (Like a Blood elf with blue eyes may appear to be a High elf). * Whilst some hybridisations are possible (Half orc/draenei, half high elf/human), some are not, only serve to make the character something special or would complicate how those of their faction would see them (i.e. an Alliance/Horde race halfbreed). Half-elves tend to become cliché. * A certain amount of angst would be expected, since Azeroth has been plagued with wars affecting every playable race. Its when your character has a hideous amount of angst without much psychological scars that he or she becomes a Mary sue. Lay off things like non con and child abuse without some research into the mental affects of it. Do not have your character openly talk about their atypical bad experiences (Saying you lost your friend from a while ago in a war that killed thousands is fine. Casually bringing up how you were beaten and flogged day and night isn't) for attention if they have such a past. * Playing a pretty character is fine, though with the character design options there is already hundreds of them. Just watch you don't wind up acting like these people (Ash and Dru, Dejavoo etc), plainly saying 'She is very beautiful' or expecting all characters to fall head over heels for you. Most Mary sues from most fanworks tend to be beautiful in some kind of way. * Most opponents would try and stab you in the stomach, not your face. Facial scars tend to be overdone. Especially if they're ones that just make you look pretty and cooler, rather than having an ugly mangled or missing ear. * Lesbian blood elves (At least on Steamwheedle) tend to be overdone to the extent there is more lesbian than straight females (gay males are even rarer). Some tend to have some Mary sue traits within them (i.e. beauty, tragic pasts, powers etc). = How can I tell if my character is a Mary sue? = You can take your character on the Warcraft Mary sue test or look for another test on google. Its not so much the traits that make a Mary sue, but how they are roleplayed. Avoid hybridisation, roleplaying a species your character's avatar is not and never roleplay something out of Warcraft's possibilities in a Warcraft rpg (Vampires, Inuyasha-inspired animal demons). Also, watch how you roleplay. Most Mary sues give their life story to strangers, want to be on top and just want attention. * Does your character tell strangers/people they barely know about how their parents beat them or whatever other angst? (Be aware that most people won't care how sad your character is if they're just whining) * Do you roleplay in a way that tries to draw attention rather than give it? (i.e. "Look! I have uncovered a plot to destroy Silvermoon!" rather than "Good day sir!") * Do you try to make people, even strangers, pity your character? (See the above) * Does your character have an overly angst past for their race? * Does your character tell recent acquaintances or strangers things that could get them in deep trouble for attention? (Telling that paladin you are actually a demon is a no-no) * If your character has an atypically angst past, do they whine of it to everyone, or are they unusually happy and only cry when convenient for attention? * If your character is annoying and openly rude, do they suffer no consequences for it through your godmodding or deus ex machina? = Types of Mary sues = Mary sues can come with different stereotypes. The main thing in common is that they have attributes most roleplayers have seen used to death before, and are roleplayed in an attention-seeking way. Special Mary sue Whether its a relation to a demigod, halfbreed blood or horns sprouting out of their head, these Mary sues are filled with 'exotic' traits rather than personality sure to grab your attention...Not. Angsty Mary sue These people have had a hard time and will keep no secrets in broadcasting it to the world. After all, whoever doesn't encourage them to talk about the secrets they are hiding or takes pity on yet another orphan is surely a bad person undeserving of their time. Goody two-shoes Mary sue This girl can (literally) do no wrong. If the player commits an ic action that would tarnish their good reputation, then that bad deed is either retconned away, blamed on an evil twin or their angst past. Nevermind the fact everyone has lived through wars taking their friends and family away and can still behave, Mary sue has had it much worse. They're not being bad, they're just one-dimensional and 'misunderstood'. These types tend to have little personality going for them. After all, what character can't love a perfect person with no criminal record like Mary sue? Superhero Mary sue Whether your head was knocked off, you bruised a knee or got the Silvermoon guards after you, Mary sue can fix it. In fact they can heal and defend so well, it gets any possible drama and suspense out of the way. Overpowered Mary sue Doesn't matter whether you've cornered that level ten or just severed one of their legs, they're sure to escape through deus ex machina-style teleporting, being summoned or miraculously managing to run off without a limp. That and they can obviously just stab you without giving you a chance to dodge and be done.